DAVAO CITY – On the occasion of the worldwide Earth Day celebration this April 22, 2015, organic farming advocates are renewing their call for the city government to establish the city’s organic zones as mandated by the Davao City Organic Agriculture Ordinance of 2010.
“Organic farms increase the fertility of soils and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. Establishing organic farming zones all around the city will ensure Davao’s food security and make the city climate resilient.”, said Go Organic Davao City (GoDC) member Joy Enriquez.
Davao’s Organic Agriculture Management Council (OAMC) had initially identified Barangay Sibulan in Toril District as one of the ideal sites for an organic farming zone due to the high number of organic farming practitioners in the areas. The area is home to the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe which has adopted organic agriculture as a predominant way of farming life.
Sibulan is also the site of the Sibulan Organic Banana Growers Multipurpose Cooperation (SOBAGROMCO), a 2014 Lunhaw Awardee for Organic Farming, which exports organic bananas to Japan.
A series of community consultations have already been conducted by the OAMC in the area to ensure the support and participation of the local organic farmers and to convince the remaining conventional farmers to shift to organic.
Under the city’s Organic Agriculture Ordinance, the OA zones will be protected from encroachment and contamination by chemical-based farm inputs and genetically-engineered crops. The zoning also protects indigenous farming practices related to organic farming by mandating the continuous use of these practices, ensuring its sustainability through farming generations.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the OA Code defines OA zones to have the following minimum criteria: “a. Presence of actual organic agriculture practitioners; b. Presence of natural or man-made water formations, including areas covered for irrigation and similar facilities; c. Identified buffer zone to shield organic agriculture from other land uses that impact on the integrity of the practice of organic agriculture; and, d. Areas suited for agricultureal production as defined in the Davao City Land Use Plan.”
“In 2014, its Sangguniang Barangay passed a resolution asking the City Government to declare Brgy Sibulan as an Organic Agriculture Zone. It has been over a year since the resolution was furnished to the city but until now, there has been no official declaration yet.”, Enriquez said.
This is because the OAMC has yet to finish its baseline survey on the number and size of the organic farms in Sibulan. The data is needed as an attachment to the City Council resolution designating Sibulan as an organic zone.
“This April 22, as Davao joins the whole world in celebrating Earth Day, we call on the OAMC and other concerned agencies to fast track the process of data gathering and consolidation so that the resolution can be immediately endorsed to the City Council. The sooner organic zones are declared by the city, the more farmers will be encouraged to adopt organic farming practices.” said Enriquez. (Sunstar Davao)